Embodiments relate to blood circulation within a body and, more particularly, to a system and method of using regulated compression to improve cardiovascular efficiency.
Muscles require a continuous supply of oxygenated blood to properly function and ward off fatigue. The ability of the body to perform perambulatory motion for an extended period of time is limited by various factors, some of which include genetics, physical fitness level, and cardiovascular efficiency. A subject, or user, has an ability to increase oxygen introduced into the subject's body to a genetic maximum efficiency (VO2MAX) through exercise and training. Once VO2MAX is reached, the subject usually seeks to maintain this peak efficiency for as long as possible while continuing perambulatory motion.
The vasculature in the body includes veins which have one-way valves to prevent a backflow of blood. In the lower extremities, extra work is required to move blood uphill to the input side of the heart. Muscles assist the heart during perambulatory motion by compressing veins in the lower extremities and therefore provide assistance to the heart in returning blood uphill. The soleus muscle is one muscle which is part of the calf muscle and supports this function. Those skilled in the art have called the soleus muscle a second heart. Flexure of the soleus muscle provides assistive pumping of venous blood back to the heart from the periphery. Thus, process, namely, flexure of the soleus muscle, is generally known as the skeletal muscle pump, or the second heart effect. The soleus skeletal muscle pump is essential for maintaining adequate venous and interstitial fluid flows in the dependent body.
This process provides assistance to the heart by reducing the effort the heart must perform to maintain cardiovascular performance sufficient to accomplish the task or work at hand. This process is particularly important to soldiers, athletes, and other active individuals who depend on their hearts to maintain cardiovascular performance sufficient to accomplish the task or work at hand. Thus, such individuals would benefit from being able to increase benefits realized from flexure of the soleus muscle.